All You Can Eat

After concluding the 5-day juice fast (go to: Yoga Girl goes Vegan-Breaking Fast), I found that I was not ready for consumption of cooked meals.  Feeling "light and airy", I did not want a "loaded" down experience.  I decided to pursue a raw diet.  Hungry for more information, I reached out to a few other raw vegans.  As a result, my dear raw vegan coach gave me,  "The 80-10-10 Diet", written by (raw vegan) Dr. Douglas N. Graham. ( for more go to: about Dr. Graham).   In the book, Dr. Graham discusses that our true dietary nature as the human species was not meant to consume meats or even heavy grains or grasses.  As he puts it, "our anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and psychology all indicate that we are not carnivores" .  For that matter, he also states we are not herbivores, nor are we omnivores.  Here's some of Dr. Graham's  "food for thought":

carnivores (lions, tigers, & bears oh my!) love to tear into flesh, they love the smell and taste of raw muscles and blood.
herbivores love to forage in nature for grass, weeds, and leaves for a tasty snack.
we humans like to think (I did too!) that we are omnivores, a little bit of both meat and grass eaters.

According to Dr. Graham, we are none of the above.  He states that our bodies do not possess the proper enzymes to break down this food nor do we possess the teeth or claws needed.  We are instead (drum roll please),  FRUGIVORES!  Dr. Graham also tells us that:

"In nature, humans would be frugivores only - a creature that lives primarily on fruits, with the addition of tender greens. (This includes the nonsweet seeded fruits we generally eat with vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini and other squashes, and eggplant.) Like all animals, we can indeed survive (albeit less successfully) on a wide variety of foods. Nonetheless, our bodies are designed to thrive on a diet of mainly fruit."

That works for me since the idea of chasing dinner just quite doesn't whet the appetite. But somehow, if you really think about it, doesn't the thought of juicy, sweet, ripe fruit just make your mouth water?

The Fruit Market: a  Smorgasbord fit for Fruivores everywhere!

SMORGASBORD!

Halfway through the book, I went to an "All You Can Eat" Buffet with my husband.  It was a perfect choice since there would be selections appealing to our different palates. Erroneously, I presumed that I would just have a salad. To my surprise, the Asian-inspired restaurant had an abundance of  choices for a frugivore!  In addition to the traditional veggies, there were wonderful raw choices at the "cook to order" station: raw bok choy, raw julienned ginger, raw zucchini and yellow squash slices, raw vegetarian sushi rolls.  I gorged on the fantastic, juicy, naturally sweet fruit bar:  mango, pineapple, apple slices in fresh lemon juice, honeydew, peaches, pears, berries, kiwi, and even kumquats!  I was ecstatic.  The satiation experienced was not of the food I consumed but of the confirmation that sat well in pit of my stomach knowing I was moving forward through this journey along the proper path.  Never would I have imagined going raw or of increasing my intake of fruits - yet somehow, I felt peaceful and at ease doing it. Perhaps it is because I am not "going against my grain", I am unconditionally and freely accepting my real, "natural state".

Giving it a whirl
After the revelation of my true self, I felt comfortable experimenting with a few raw dishes. As with any new learning experience, some of my trials weren't too tasty, but darn it, a few were just scrumptious.  One of my favorites was a meal I'll call "hot and spicy meets sweet and tangy":

• Raw organic oat square (cinnamon, fresh orange juice, raw organic oats)
• Spicy salsa (fresh roma tomatoes, fresh garlic, red onions, paprika, red chili peppers, dash chili powder, pepper, sea salt)
• Raw chopped kale
• Chopped lettuce
• Fresh orange slices

The lesson learned is to feel comfortable going with your natural flow and progression.  If something is just too hard, and just does not seem to work out, ask yourself, "Are you going against your grain? Perhaps, the very thing you are fighting is that which is not in alignment with your true self.  As with frugivores, your natural state will have you salivating!  You will be ready for all you can eat! When you gorge, engage, and compliment your nature, you will feel fulfilled, excited, ready to experiment, eager to give it a whirl and to learn more of that which will sustain you.  

My real, or natural state, at this time, it is to be raw.  What is it for you?

Yoga: Kapalabhati  Pranayama (cleansing breath exercise)
In yoga, the Pranayama refers to all breathing practice.  Kapalabhati specifically is deep inhalation and exhalation.  Together, they create the "cleansing breath".  When most of us begin a new task, finish a challenge, or relish in our satiation, we tend to inhale and exhale or sigh deeply and slowly.  We have just practiced Kapalabhati Pranayama without thought or intention.  When you do something without thinking about it, it is your true self, it is your natural state.

Namaste.